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Middle Schoolers Reach High in ‘Training’ to Become Pilots Through UWFox Program

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On Saturday, November 10th, middle school students from the Fox Cities’ Kaukauna and Menasha school districts are participating in a series of pilot training stations held through the “Am I High Aviation” flight school in Stevens Point, WI. The middle school students participating are involved a pre-college program called the “Educational Talent Search,” which is administered through the University of Wisconsin–Fox Valley and funded through the federal TRiO Educational Talent Search program.

The program is scheduled to begin at approximately noon, at the Stevens Point Municipal Airport.

“Our goal is to provide students with new and influential experiences designed to help them think about their future as early as middle school. We’ve had students interested in becoming pilots for the military or commercial airline companies, so we wanted to give them a head start and experience what the field of aviation is all about,” says Kerry Johnson, UWFox’s middle school coordinator for the program.

Wanda Zuege, co-owner and master flight instructor of “Am I High Aviation,” as well as pilots and volunteers from the local community, will be working together to create experiences for the middle schoolers that parallel actual pilot training.

The Talent Search Program identifies and assists individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education by providing academic, career, and financial counseling to the program participants. Students in the program are encouraged to graduate from high school and to continue on to a post-secondary education.